Sh’ma Yisrael Adoshem Elokeinhu, Adoshem Echad.  These words are found in the Torah in D’varim 6:4.  Jews and non-Jews alike know this prayer.  For our young children it is one of the very first prayers taught. Did you know that the melody you are using is traditionally considered MiSinai (From Sinai) and was sung time immemorial by all the Jews beginning at Mount Sinai?  In reality, although the prayer itself is from those ancient times, the melody that is sung and taught today is less than 200 years old.  The United States of America is older!  The composer was Austrian born Hazzan Solomon Sulzer.  He composed this melody and others as part of his Shir Zion which was first published in 1840, when he was 36 years old.

During our morning service, before the Sh’ma is recited, we pray the Ahavah Rabah, which is translated as “With abundant love”.  We sing the Ahavah Rabah “…because of the verse that reads, ‘They [Your Kindnesses] are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.’ (Source: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, Macy Nulman, pg. 11).  It’s like when someone says to you “It’s a new day!”.  In the evening service the prayer before the Sh’ma is known as the Ahavat Olam, which is translated as “With everlasting love”.  Ahavat Olam reinforces this intention in the verse “I have loved Thee with an everlasting love.” (Source: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, Macy Nulman, pg 12).

In the morning and in the evening we set up ourselves to be in the right frame of mind when saying the Sh’ma.  “The Sh’ma is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith in one G-d.  If you look around you may see people cover their eyes or lower their heads and close their eyes.  For many people this is a way to focus and listen to the simple prayer.  The obligation to recite the Sh’ma is separate from the obligation to pray and a Jew is obligated to say the Sh’ma in the morning and at night (D’varim 6:7).” (Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-shema).  When we sing the Sh’ma, starting with the Ahavah Rabah in the morning or the Ahavat Olam in the evening we utilize the melodies composed by Solomon Sulzer. Who knows if we will still be using these melodies for the next 200 years!    

The next section of the Sh’ma is the V’Ahavtah. And you shall love the L-rd “….your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might.” (Source: Siddur Sim Shalom L’chol, pg. 33).  In this section we are taught to teach our children about our faith, about our love for G-d and about our traditions. Here you will notice a “change-up” tune and for the  V’Ahavtah we utilize Torah Trope, tying together through the melody not only all three of these prayers, but also ending with the melodic structure of chanting the Torah, thus bringing us back to the gift of the Torah to the Jewish People.  Now we are prepared to hear the words of Torah and understand them in our hearts.

As we tie the Sulzer Melody, which has become ingrained into our collective musical souls, to the familiar chanting of the Trope, we become part of a beautiful tradition that started with Revelation.  We close our eyes during the Sh’ma to help us listen, not only to our collective voices singing together, but also to hear G-d within our community.  Next time you are in Synagogue, whether during a daily Minyan, a holiday, or a Shabbat service, join us together as we sing the Ahavah Rabah / Ahavat Olam, the Sh’ma, then the V’Ahavtah.  As our voices join together and become one, we recognize that the L-rd our G-d is One.